Team for the Ages — Darrell Green

Green is the gold standard of athleticism and longevity at the CB position

By ARTHUR ARKUSH

Aug. 15, 2018

Over the offseason, thousands of fans voted in our "Team For the Ages" contest to construct the best imaginable 50-man roster from the NFL’s modern era, which began in 1967. The votes have been counted, and we’re unveiling one player each weekday between now and the kickoff of the 2018 NFL season.

Based on longevity and consistency, no corner in NFL history was better than Darrell Green, who played 20 seasons, including an NFL record 19 straight with at least one interception. Based on pure skill and playmaking ability, Green, the 28th overall pick out of DII Texas A&M Kingsville in 1983, is right up there. A two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the fastest, more athletic players in NFL history, he produced a franchise-record 54 interceptions and six return touchdowns (plus six additional picks and two scores in the postseason) with Washington.

They said it

“I’ve learned how to play the game from him. Darrell is always ‘the Man.’ Don’t ever doubt that.”

— Green's former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Champ Bailey, in 2000, when he was entering Year 2 and Green was entering Year 17 and his first as a backup

Key stat

Green appeared in 295 regular-season games, the most by a defensive player in NFL history.

Did you know?

At age 40, Washington clocked Green on a 4.23-second 40-yard dash.

Said legendary former PFW draft evaluator Joel Buchsbaum of Green: "When he came out, people said he wouldn’t last, he was a midget, he was too raw, he was one of Bobby Beathard’s off-the-wall picks. But he turned into just a tremendous cover corner whose great leaping ability helped him overcome his lack of height.”

Signature game

Green played in 18 postseason games, including three Super Bowls, but his first playoff appearance stands out in a remarkable 300-plus game career. In his rookie season, Washington throttled the Rams, 52-7, in the divisional round, where Green recorded his first-ever pick-six, a 72-yarder that sent the curtains down on L.A. early in the fourth quarter.